Dimension Beta

"Where are the potions?" the man asked, his voice hoarse and impatient.

Tom cautiously took out one potion and handed it over for inspection. The man quickly grabbed it, inspected it for a moment, and then pocketed it.

"Now give me the rest, boy," he demanded.

"You have to pay up first, sir," Tom said, holding his ground. "I showed goodwill by giving you the first potion, so now I need you to hand over the money before you get the rest."

The man's irritation was evident. "Don't talk nonsense. Hand over the rest of the potions now!" His voice grew more aggressive.

Tom remained firm. "I can't do that. How about this? You pay for five potions, and I'll give you five potions at a time. How does that sound?"

The man's response was not what Tom expected. In a swift motion, he pulled out a sword from beneath his robe, its blade glinting menacingly. "Listen here, you little shit," he growled. "You better give me all the goods you have unless you want to end up in a mess."

Tom froze, shocked by the blatant attempt at robbery in the middle of the city. He briefly remembered the time he and his mother were robbed on the streets. That day, he couldn't do anything. But here in Beta, things were different.

"You can fuck off," Tom spat, his defiance surprising even himself.

The man's grin twisted into a sneer. "I don't think you understand the situation, boy. I've already scouted the entire area, and I know you're alone. I've inspected you, and I know you're just a level 54 human with an uncommon class. I'm more than triple your level. I can kill you in just a few strikes."

Tom was startled by the man's confidence but quickly realized something strange. "Human?" he muttered to himself. The man's inspection didn't seem to register Tom's new race. He decided to use this misunderstanding to his advantage.

"You can try!" Tom yelled and bolted away.

The man cursed and gave chase, his sword slashing toward Tom. The blade struck, but to the robber's and Tom's surprise, it only dealt 1,000 damage.

"You must have some defensive armor," the man muttered, annoyed. "Looks like I'll have to strip you naked before killing you."

He struck again, and Tom took another 1,000 damage. Though Tom tried to retaliate or dodge, the man's speed was far superior. Tom's health began to dwindle with every strike.

When his health dropped to 20%, the man grew visibly frustrated. "How the fuck are you still standing? I've poisoned you with each strike, but you're still running around!" he shouted.

Unbeknownst to both, Tom's new race made him immune to certain poisons, including the paralyzing poison the man used. His immunity rendered the robber's tactic useless.

"You leave me no choice," the man said, preparing to finish Tom off. But Tom had been preparing too. Each time he dodged, he punched the walls of the alley as hard as he could, creating loud, echoing booms.

Suddenly, a shadow loomed behind the robber. A massive hand grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the ground.

"I was wondering who was trying to destroy my tavern," a deep voice growled. "But it seems someone was messing with my little brother."

It was Pablo. He had heard the commotion from inside the tavern and rushed out just in time to see Tom being chased. Without hesitation, he intervened.

The robber struggled, his sword flailing as he aimed a kick at Pablo. A blade shot out from his boot, heading straight for Pablo's throat.

"Watch out!" Tom shouted, but Pablo was already prepared. He caught the man's foot mid-air and slammed him into the ground with a deafening thud.

The robber groaned but quickly regained his footing, retaliating with a flurry of attacks. Pablo matched him blow for blow, his sheer strength keeping the upper hand.

After a minute of intense fighting, Pablo's movements slowed, and his vision blurred. The robber smirked. "Looks like my poison worked on you. Too bad it didn't work on that little shit over there. I'll deal with you first," he sneered.

Pablo only smiled. "Looks like I have to get serious," he said. In an instant, his body grew larger, his muscles bulging as a fiery red aura engulfed him.

"Oh, fuck," the robber muttered, panic flashing in his eyes. He tried to flee, but Pablo was too fast. He pinned the man to the ground, punching relentlessly until the robber's health was nearly depleted.

"Come here, boy!" Pablo shouted to Tom.

Tom ran over, unsure of what to do. "What can I do to help?" he asked.

"Search him. Make sure you don't miss anything."

Tom quickly searched the man's belongings and found two spatial pouches. He ignored the rest of the man's gear, knowing it would vanish upon death.

"Now finish him off," Pablo commanded.

Without hesitation, Tom stomped on the robber's head, delivering the final blow. The man let out a strangled cry before his body disintegrated into a cloud of pixels.

"You alright, Pablo?" Tom asked, concerned.

Pablo chuckled. "Who do you think you're talking to, boy? That was nothing." He patted his chest confidently.

Tom sighed in relief. "Thanks, Pablo."

"Let's head inside. I need a drink after that, and you've got some explaining to do."

Over a glass of juice, Tom recounted his potion dealings behind the tavern. After hearing him out, Pablo offered his back office as a safer trading location.

"You sure? I don't want to bother you," Tom said hesitantly.

"Don't disrespect me like that," Pablo said firmly. "You're like my little brother now. When I say it's fine, it's fine."

"Thanks, big brother," Tom said, a genuine smile spreading across his face.

Pablo grinned. "That's more like it. Now, stick around for a bit. The others have missed you."

Tom spent the rest of the evening in the tavern, catching up with familiar faces.

Tom decided to inspect the loot he had taken from the robber earlier. He pulled out the two spatial pouches, eager to see if there was anything useful inside.

However, as he tried to access their contents, he encountered an unexpected problem: neither pouch allowed him to take anything out or put anything in.

Frustrated, he inspected the pouches with his magnifying glass. [Sealed Spatial Pouch] was displayed when he hovered over them. Tom did not know what to do for now, so he just put them away.

By midnight, he logged out, content and ready for another day.

…

Elsewhere, a man slammed his fist against a wall in frustration.

"What happened, Slicer?" another man asked.

"I got fucking killed in Beta. Lost everything except my gear."

"Hah! Bit off more than you could chew?"

"Fuck off. I did everything right. Scouted the area, poisoned my victim, but somehow he didn't go down. Then some asshole shows up, robs me, and finishes me off."

"Sounds like you had a bad day. Want to team up and teach him a lesson?"

"We'll need to watch him first. Make sure he's alone."

"No problem. Tell me his name and what he looks like. I'll take care of the rest."

…

Tom had no idea that he was already being targeted by a criminal organization. He was blissfully unaware as he followed his routine the next day. After school, he made his way to the Free Martial Arts Dojo for his first proper training session.

Today was the day he would participate in the training, and Tom couldn't hide his excitement. As soon as he entered, he spotted Tyson and greeted him eagerly.

"Hey, Tyson!"

"Hey, boy. You ready to sweat?" Tyson asked with a grin.

"Yes!" Tom replied enthusiastically.

"All right, everyone, let's get started!" Tyson shouted, signaling the beginning of the session.

The dojo sprang to life as everyone gathered in the center. The warm-up began with several laps around cones set up across the room. After that, they stretched to loosen their muscles and moved into shadowboxing. Tom was already drenched in sweat by the end of the warm-up, but this was just the beginning.

Tyson demonstrated a series of punching and kicking combinations. The students spread out across the room to practice on sandbags stationed at various points. Tom found himself struggling to coordinate his kicks properly.

Tyson noticed and came over. "Your kicks aren't connecting the right way. Watch me," he instructed.

Slowing down his movements, Tyson demonstrated a perfect kick, pointing out the mechanics step by step. Tom observed closely and began mimicking the actions.

"Yes, much better," Tyson encouraged. "Now try adding that power to your punches."

Tom continued practicing under Tyson's guidance. Despite the difficulty, he could feel himself improving slightly with each attempt.

Before he knew it, the session had come to an end. Tyson gathered everyone to wrap things up. "Great work today, everyone. Make sure you come back on Monday!"

Tom nodded, thanking Tyson before heading home. His body felt heavy, his muscles aching from the intense workout. The exhaustion was real, but so was his sense of accomplishment.

Once he got home, Tom barely managed to jump into the shower, washing away the sweat and grime from training. His limbs felt like lead as he climbed into his capsule to log back into Beta. Despite his fatigue, Tom knew there was a lot left to do in the virtual world, especially since customers for Pech's potions were starting to line up online.